Nutritionists may cringe, but local businesses are embracing the Los Angeles Dodgers’ new all-you-can-eat ticket packages.
For such employers as Jet Propulsion Laboratories, group outings to Dodgers games are a tradition. Each year, JPL purchases seats at a group rate and then resells them to their employees at cost. Last year, 300 JPL employees and their families attended the game. This year, 300 tickets to the right field pavilion sold out in less than two days. The group bought two more blocks of tickets and ended up bringing more than 500 people all entitled to gorge on unlimited hotdogs, nachos, peanuts and soda to the game on April 22 against the Pittsburgh Pirates.
“All feedback has been positive,” said Carlos Aguilar, JPL marketing and ticket sales manager. “I have already booked a second date in June.”
Group sales, primarily businesses, have accounted for 50 percent of the tickets sold in the right field pavilion through the first month of the season, according to the Dodgers. Ticket prices drop to as low as $20 in the section for many games throughout the year for groups of at least 20 people.
“It’s a turnkey solution and a lot of corporations are taking advantage of it,” said Marty Greenspun, Dodgers chief operating officer.
The success of the all-you-can-eat section led to BP West Coast Products LLP’s AMPM signing a three year sponsorship deal valued at more than $1 million for the entire 3,000-seat section of the stadium. The company has signage inside the stadium and will sponsor a discounted ticket package for the section.
The right field pavilion is currently the only section of the stadium with corporate sponsorship. The team has maintained it will not sell naming rights to Dodger Stadium, which please tradition-conscious Dodger fans. By doing so, owners Frank and Jamie McCourt are leaving a large sum of money on the table. The New York Mets recently signed a deal valued at $20 million per year for naming rights to their stadium that will open in 2009, the largest such deal ever announced.
“We’ll always look at branding in the stadium, but won’t sell naming rights on the stadium,” said Greenspun.
Checkered Flag
Revenue was up seven percent from last year at the 2007 Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach and the race set an attendance record on Friday, it’s opening day.
“There was more sponsorship than ever before,” said Jim Michaelian, president and chief executive of the Grand Prix Association of Long Beach. He credits the nine sponsors that engaged in pre-race promotions for a record crowd on Friday, which also carried over to higher than average attendance on Saturday. Overall, the three-day event drew approximately 180,000 fans.
First-time sponsor Verizon Communications Inc. set up one of the more creative pre-race events. Spectators voted via cell phone text messages to determine the winner of the “drifting” car competition, in which competitors are judged based on style. It marked the first time that text messaging had been used in a motor sports format.
“It was a unique experience for our spectators and a fairly substantial number participated,” said Michaelian.
Holding Pattern
As part of L.A.’s bid to host the 2016 Summer Games, the Home Depot Center in Carson offered to complete construction on Phase II of the 27,000-seat athletic facility. With the United States Olympic Committee’s decision to back Chicago instead, the project has gone into a holding pattern.
Facility owner AEG said it will take its time deciding on whether and when to spend the $50 million to $60 million needed to upgrade the center. Potential projects include a hotel and additional training facilities.
“Phase II has been part of the plans since we opened in 2002, but we were looking for a reason to move forward,” said Rod O’Connor, general manager of the Home Depot Center. “We are still doing analysis.”
Olympic hopefuls from many countries train for soccer, tennis, track and field, cycling, basketball and baseball at the center.
Last Lap
AVP Inc. signed a sponsorship deal with Fiji Water, a subsidiary of Stewart and Lynda Resnick’s Los Angeles-based holding company Roll International Corp. to become the official water of the 2007 AVP Crocs Tour. Fiji Water also partnered with the top 10 ranked team of Suzanne Stonebarger and Michelle More. San Pedro-based Blue Cow announced sponsorship of two professional female golfers, Italian Giulia Sergas and Australian Michelle Ellis.
Staff reporter David Nusbaum can be reached at (323) 549-5225, ext. 236, or at
[email protected]
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